Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-06-22


tam, who has made many voyages to the
South Pacific II am not going to spin a
sailors yara," said the gallant mariner,
''but FL give You the bare, naked truth"
The strange tale runs as follows:
On the speck OF an island known as
TItiroa, near Tahiti, resides q rowing
Yankee named 'sBlowhard~ Chapman, the
distinguished appellation "Blowhari"
having been conferred upon him from the
fact that he is credited with having filed
several graveyards with unfortunates
whom he talked to the Kingdom Come.
In his young days he was as rollicking a
tar as ever took trick at the wheel or
went aloft in q sQuall to take q reef in the
skysail.
Now comes the woman in the case.
During one of his voyages the vessel hs
was on board touciel at the Marqussas
Islands. or course like all jolly tars,
Chapman was bound to see the sights,
picturesque and unpicturesque, of the
little port where the ship anchored While
exploring he became desperately enam-
ored of a young and beautiful native girl
tall, straight as an arrow, AMI the pos
SCISSOR of pair of large, sensuous black
eyes as mysterious as night in the tropics.
The young laly was high type of Poly.
nesian loveliness, anl, as the daughter oi
a chief, she reigued supreme.
Through his passionate love for her our
hero ran away from his ship and bravei the
danger Of fleeing to tribe of cannibals,
who lived i'll the interior. Having safely
passed through q series OF extraordinary
mishaps and perils, he again returned to
the little port to find that the vessel had
long ago departed. Again, with increased
ardor, he renewed his Cupidic attacks, but
the heroine spurned all his appeals, as if
her heart were insensible to loves emo.
tious. The sailor boy finally triumphed,
but at fearful cost She consented TO be
his wife on condition that he would tattoo
his whole body.
Startled and affrighted at the thought
Chapman's face became livid and HE
strong form secmed to reel and totter.
He begged and pleaded to be relieved
from such shocking sacrifice, but the
beauty remained inexorable. AT last O
compromise was agreed upon and he con.
sented to have himself completely tat
tooed except his face. He endured the
tedious and painful process with stoio for
titudr, and when the work was acc ON.
plished he presented himself before his
intended bride and claimed her heart and
hand.
Imagine his shame and modification
when he found that his sweetheart
spurned him and fed from his presence
as if he were leper. His modification
was still greater when few days later
no learned that his faithless intended
whom he still blindly loved-eloped with
his rival, the captain of trailing schoon-
er. He also learned that his rival was
madly jealous, and he it was who insti
gated the girl to have Chapman disfi gure
himself for life. "Bl owhard" was incon
solable for awhile, but time and another
~ l.,
his wounded nd bleeding heart.
The worst tattooei white man in all the
South Sea Islands is '.Commodore" How
ard, who lives at Taiohae on the Mar
quesas Islands. A gain Is there "a WON.
an in the case," the lovely and bewitch-
ing Tahia. Her victim is so completed
tattooed that there Is not spot on his
body, face and all, that is not marked ano
disfigured. Seeing him in tho distance
or even close by, no ono would ever dream
that he was an Anglo-Ssxon; yet he is
| or rather was, an English sail
or and a typical blonde Britisher
In his infatuation for Tahia he foolsh
consented, at her entreaties. to underg,
the hideous process which robs him of all
sembl tnce to q white man and transform.
him into virtual tatooed barbarian. Ye
this terrible sacrifice was in vain, for she
who causei it proved false ana tickle
During all the time that the tCommo
dore" woocd her she was receiving tn.
attention of another white man, anC
finally ran OF with him. Her deserte,
lover made the bcst of it and settled dow
in life, to all intents and purposes, as
native to the manner born.
Another queer case OF tattooing Is thai
Of Captain" Bob Stewart, who lives in
the MIrquesas. His legs, arms and body
are so defaced that the observer can moi
see speck OF white skin. Fortunately
for him his face is not disfiyurei, and It'll
strong Scotch angular on lines look rather
rugged and picturesque in contrast with
his body. The gallant Captain became the
victim OF the tickle yet fascin ati na
Kai-mata, which TRANSLATED into Eng lisl
has the omnlous meaning of e-Eatsr.
To Win her heart he patiently endured tn,
puncturing OF the native artis.; but, alas
In this case, also, the course of true love
was of short duration, AMI Miss ats
deserted the man who for her had dis
figured himself for life.
What seemc1 strange IN tho th-ce cases
mentioned is that the men named are O.
more than ordinary intelligence for thei,
class; and how thcy could ever practice
barbarous custom which outlaws them
from all civilized society seems incredible
There are many other white men scattered
throughout the groups OF islands VIII err
tattooing is practiced who lrave fallen vic
Tins to the custom, and in every instance
it Is known that in the disfi gurement thor,
was q woman at the bottom of it." Tat
tooing on lesser scale is quite prevalen
among all the sailors who have scttlcd il
the islands and intermarried with tht
Kanakas.
Among the ltivos themselves the tat
too process has q religious aad social
meaning as significant as the dress which
tells Of mans occupation or a LADY,.
position in high civilized life. The Kings
or p gh chiefs have their peculiar insignia
tattooed on their bodies as also have the
chiefssses. Then come the petty chiefs
who are marked according to their rank
The common natives have their own ear
marks, so to speak, and the priests hav,
their bodies mystically punctured 4
common native dare not, under penalty o
death, place the insignia OF a chief upol
his body. Tho marks on q priest are in
violable, and even a King must not coun
terfeit them. Bes ides certain tattooin,
indicating rank and Office, bodies are fre
| quenty covered with the designs Of birds
! fish, shells and fantastic conceptions
whIch are purely the inspiration Of the
| artist.
CT0hN RanCtoa, n0-rc